


The Jaguar Who Saved A Boy

by BBRosenfeld



Category: Onyx Equinox (Cartoon)
Genre: Character Study, Feelings, Gen, Introspection, Meque is not here but I love him, Not Beta Read, Realization, Reflection, Yaotl and Izel relationship, Yaotl has feelings ya'll, Yaotl is a proud papa, this is too short for my tastes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-01
Updated: 2021-01-01
Packaged: 2021-03-11 02:41:18
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 572
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28487736
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BBRosenfeld/pseuds/BBRosenfeld
Summary: While guarding the small community where they're taking refuge in, Yaotl finally figures out what is that heavy feeling in his chest. And innocent laughter is what's needed for that.
Relationships: Yaotl & Izel
Comments: 6
Kudos: 45





	The Jaguar Who Saved A Boy

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyoneeeee!  
> So, Onyx Equinox happened. I'm in love and I want more, but since I've already binge watched it, like, three times, I thought it was time I contributed a bit to the fandom, even if it's merely an essay, lol.  
> Enjoy the show!!

Yaotl always figured there was something off about the gods from the very beginning, and Quetzalcoatl is no exception. The Feathered Snake preached about balance and the importance of humanity, but he was one of the most cunning ones in the pantheon. Everything he planned had an incredible number of facets, and the emissary often felt lost when Tezcatlipoca ranted about them to him.

So it's not unexpected that when the jaguar was sent to retrieve Izel, Yaotl was both very confused and unsurprised. The kid was what? No more than 13 cycles, if he was being generous. Izel was obviously no warrior, with that scrawny body and dainty fingers, visibly more used to domestic work rather than fighting.

And yet he was chosen. Distraught with loss, tainted by the underworld and shunned away by his peers. All in the span of a day or so.

So deep, deep, veeeery deep down Yaotl understood where the boy came from with his whining and reluctance. But the jaguar was still on the clock, and Izel's voice still grated on his nerves, so needless to say, it was easy to treat the chosen one with contempt. Make him wake up to reality, he'd wager.

However, there still was a feeling of _wrongness_ in his core. And the feeling just augmented when Quetzalcoatl threw the bomb of him being a human in his past life. It's hilarious to say the least: Yaotl, Tezcatlipoca's most loyal and fearless emissary, a mere fleshbag that killed needlessly and acted on instinct rather than intellect.

Why did it feel like a puzzled had settled, then?

And so his annoyance grew, along with the number of humans he had to babysit. And even more after Izel decided it was a good idea to confront the underworld goddess. And now the boy was feeling sorry for himself for trusting that artificial monster Yaotl had wanted to annihilate since the beginning. And the foolish boy had the gall to defy him.

Yaotl was not feeling guilty about how he harshly he reprimanded Izel. Nope, not at all, not even a little bit. The words of that dubious girl were not nagging at his conscience. "He's not a curse. As you say, he's just a boy. And whether you like it or not, he needs your guidance."

... Maybe a tiny little bit.

Then he heard laughter. There were a bunch of them, of children having fun together, but one stood out to him. It was mixed with the others, but he recognised that lilt, the familiarity of it, albeit in a form he'd never heard before, and the realization hit Yaotl in the gut worse than the pink creature had.

Izel was laughing. An actual, full-bellied laugh, out of joy of being alive and together with the ones he treasured. 

Since the day the jaguar saved the boy, that was the first time Yaotl actually realized... That Izel was just a kid. A scrawny kid with the literal fate of the world sitting on his narrow shoulders, and all he had was him and that ragtag group of allies. That Izel hadn't laughed even once throughout the journey, and the emissary felt responsible for that.

Yaotl wasn't sure, but he felt something squeeze in his chest. A heart, perhaps? Or what remained from his human life.

And the little bit of remaining humanity... Wanted to protect that child. And for real this time.

**Author's Note:**

> So, I heard from the grapevine that a lot of people dislikes Izel's attitude and how he whines a lot. In my opinion, however, that actually makes him even more likeable. I already adopted him in my head, actually lol
> 
> Now, on the other hand, Yaotl's relationship with Izel fascinates me. The jaguar began as a full bully, and by the end he was a proud papa. And I had to explore it somehow.
> 
> I don't know if I'll write more for this fandom (who knows me from Voltron is well aware I'm awfully inconsistent with updates), but regardless, I REALLY WANT A 2ND SEASON. LIKE, YESTERDAY. 
> 
> HAPPY 2021, everyone!! Peacing out, yo'!!


End file.
